Asterisk or similar PBX servers

Lil306

A small project I've always wanted to do with my home IT setup, is built my own PBX system with VOIP functionality. Routing my home land line through it so I can have voice mail, extensions, recording calls (both in / out)**

** The call recording is also for legality reasons. I'd prefer the option to record calls where users are made aware similar to an IVR system. So that if they continue then they are giving permission for their calls to be recorded and used if required.....

I'm aware of Asterisk as a freeware program, are there any other free or commercial programs that could give this functionality. I like delving with IT so have no issues with the configuration of things myself.

S0litaire

Think the majority of open source PBX software is based on Asterix. It been around for years and is stable enough for anyone to give it a go and be reasonably successful.



Cost wise stick with the Open Source software, once you start getting into commercial side you're usually buying the Hardware PBX server and then having to pay for a licence to ruin the software for 12 -24 months.

Big_Graeme

S0litaire wrote: »

having to pay for a licence to ruin the software for 12 -24 months.

Mmm I think you know some of my clients

S0litaire

Big_Graeme wrote: »

Mmm I think you know some of my clients

Yup!
Worked on a 3com PBX in the past!
Nightmare to fix once an " 3COM authorised technical support agent" ran an update which borked the entire Voicemail system! Bosses Voice messages were automatically emailed to the entire user list and he got flooded with everyone's voice messages instead!! all other settings were screwed as well >_<

Ended up in such a mess that the easiest option was to wiped the entire PBX and start from scratch (and manually recovering old Logs, settings and some voice mails from the rather old internal 60Mb hard drive which was used to store the PBX backups.)

Lil306

Thank you, I like the idea of using Asterisk and there's a lot of documentation relating to it which will save me time and research

Mr_Toad

I set up Asterix some years ago after getting fed up of being an answering service for my two tennage children. All calls routed to the IVR.

Press 1 for offspring 1
Press 2 for offspring 2
Press 3 for an adult.

I bought the line cards for the server off eBay very cheaply and it all worked really well.

Then, sprog 1 went to Uni and sprog 2 got a mobile and it all became redundant almost overnight.